Would This Interview Have Upset You?

I watched the Brian Williams interview with the Emanuel brothers — Rahm, Ezekiel and Ari — and was later surprised that brother Ari was upset with how it went. The story aired Friday on “Rock Center” to promote brother Ezekiel’s new book, Brothers Emanuel: A Memoir of an American Family. According to reports, top Hollywood agent Ari Emanuel wrote NBC to complain about Brian Williams’ “contentious” interview with the three of them.

I thought the interview was largely light-hearted with only a couple of serious moments that didn’t seem untoward or overly aggressive. What do you think? Did Ari have reason to gripe?

My reaction to it, frankly, was that it was fascinating to see three high-powered siblings interact with each other. It’s unusual to see the mayor in a situation where he’s not center stage all the time, and from that standpoint alone, the segment held my interest. Of course, so much of how an encounter is perceived depends on the editing. Even so, these three must have had some remarkable dinner table conversations growing up.

I thought the interview was well done. These three are highly charged individuals and I thought they handled themselves in an appropriate manner as did Brian Williams. I do think they are fulfilling the mantra of “making the world a better place”